The Pawn
by Alvarez10
Summary: Hunger Games AU: Ash is a District 12 Tribute forced into a stand off with the other remaining Tribute. He is forced to face the fact that he must win in order to please the President. He must win.


Thousands of invisible eyes bore into him. He could feel their insatiable, never ending, burn trickle his skin along with the sweat that beaded down his face. They waited for him to make a move—any move—whether to take this young girl's life or to take his own.

She was so small. She barely looked old enough to have her name even once in the giant glass orbs. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders. Her hair was so soft and blew gently in the breeze. She was too frightened or helpless to fix it. She couldn't have been aware of the Capitol viewers when a tall man was standing before her with a make-shift spear.

And Ash was so big and strong. This was his last year and he was lucky enough to have his name drawn. Coming from district 12, he didn't have much else to look forward to. He would have been looking at grabbing a helmet and breathing dank, dusty, air for the rest of his life. Yes, his older brothers were all doing it but that didn't make it any better. Being the youngest of his family made him feel weak but here he felt strong.

Until this moment.

No, he didn't make alliances—he was above that. He couldn't join "the careers" and play along with their bliss in taking the other tributes so effortlessly. The only alliance he made was with the other District 12 Tribute, Rose Queen, and she fulfilled the name. She was beautiful, even with the fact that she was born and raised in the Seam, like him.

She saved his life several times and she was his rock. She would have taken this situation from him because she could handle it.

He knew that he couldn't handle this.

"I can't do it." His muscles were tense as he held the spear up level with his head.

The girl, her eyes were bright red from crying. It could have been from the smoke let out by the volcano that was about to erupt. The sulfur smell was unbearable but they were the last ones left. It was almost over.

Almost.

"You have to." Her confident words changed the beat of the situation. Still, she spoke so quietly that only he would be able to hear. She gave up the false façade of an innocent child in order to knock some sense into him.

The citizens across Panem watched in anticipation for the strong young man to take the devious girl's precious life. People were in tears and some were ready to give up money on bets—or to win some. Then again, some waited for the little girl to pull out her knives that she specialized in. She volunteered for this and though Ash was well aware he still couldn't justify taking her life.

"I can't." He refused even though he didn't lower the spear.

"You need to because I can take you out just as easily." She let her special knife slip into her hand.

"Why don't you just do it? It's the biggest underdog story they could dream of." His words were confident but even if he wanted to throw the spear his body wouldn't let him. His grip on the wooden staff that met at the end with a sharp arrowhead was like a vice.

"But the President wants—no, he needs the show. He needs the power struggle. He needs you to win." Her words were harsh but her mouth formed into a small grin. She was well aware of what would happen if she won.

"Then I'm a monster." He practically spit. The volcano was screaming as hot steam began to pour out of it. They had only minutes before it would erupt.

"No, you're a pawn." She scoffed. "We're both examples of what the president wants his people to feel like; starving, dehydrated, and begging for mercy that he knows he can get them to beg for. However, there are the two of us; one weak, devious and cunning, little underdog; and one strong, brave and compassionate, young man who was stronger than any of the other tributes. Which do you think the President is rooting for? You would still be stuck in the poor District 12 with no choice to submit to the President's will. However, I couldn't do that. So, which do you think he expected to win when he had the gamers force us up here? He doesn't want the underdog to win. He _can't_ have the underdog win, Ash."

"How do you—"

"It doesn't matter. You have to kill me or I will end you. But think about your family and your friends back in your district. What'll happen to them when the uproar occurs after people start believing in an underdog story? It gives hope." She stopped because she tried to suppress a horrible cough that paralyzed her for a moment.

"Then what will happen if I win?"

"You feed the President's power. The fact that we're having this conversation probably ties his undies in a bunch. Kill me and you won't have to worry about anything. I was kind of sick of the kids I grew up with. The older careers are supposed to volunteer for the young ones but none of them even bat an eyelash. That's why I had to. The original tribute was my sister who is terminally ill. Don't you see, though? The Games have changed people. Compassion, that's how you win, really." Ash still wasn't able to move but he was shocked by the little girl's monologue.

He knew that she was right but he just couldn't admit it. Sure, it may have made him less of a man but after this he couldn't even consider himself human.

"What's your name?" He asked feeling the sweat build and trying to suppress the aching in his chest.

"Diana." She said confidently.

"And where are you from?" His voice quivered. She scoffed at his emotion but a stable glare set across her face.

"You're only making it more difficult for yourself." In a brief brush of anger she threw her knife into the ground. "I'm from 2." Her defiance was something he'd never seen before.

"Do you have a family?" His voice cracked a little bit as he thought about his own. His mother would be watching, along with his father, brothers, and twin sister.

"Will you just do it already?" She growled but Ash didn't look away from her. He had to know exactly who she was before he could do something like this. He only killed two tributes in the games because they threatened the life of his group.

"No! I can't do it. You said compassion is how you win, right? Well, that doesn't make sense. If I were to have compassion then you would be the one to go for the kill. How can compassion help you win?" He had to yell over the sound of the volcano erupting around them. If one of them didn't kill each other then it was going to be a race to see who drowns in lava first.

"No, idiot!" She slowly stepped towards him. He noticed that her hands were slightly shaking as she walked. Her head was held high and her shoulders were square. If she wasn't so set on dying then Ash would have thought she was going for the kill. "Compassion is how we end the games. Compassion is how you win." She whispered as she reached up to his hand to bring his arm down. His muscles screamed in response to relaxing.

She smiled up at him as she put the spear in front of his small abdomen. His hand looked gigantic underneath her delicate one. The light touch of her hand was so gentle and something he had not felt for a long time. It reminded him of his mother's reassuring touch that only certain people can have. It belonged to the kind of people that can make you feel comforted even when your life was about to shatter. It belonged to someone like Diana.

"We can't end the games." Ash's voice was firm but he knew what she was about to do. He never felt so many contrasting emotions in his life. He was angry at the President, he was terrified of facing normal life, he was grieving the loss of everything, the feeling of taking yet another life was torturing him again and through all that he showed an emotionless expression because that was all he could muster.

"Win." Her mouth set into a small grin as she reached up to gently touch his face. His face held what was left of other tributes and she could see the demons in his eyes that would never leave him. It saddened her to see him like this but she knew it was necessary.

She tightened her hands around his as a signal. They both drew sharp breaths as he thrust the spear as hard as he could to ensure a fate sealing blow.

"Diana," He suddenly realized what he had done as she started to fall backward. He eased her to the ground as she cried out in pain. It wasn't pretty. Death was never pretty. However the Capitol was showing it, Ash knew that they would never truly feel what he was feeling now.

The slow paralyzing of her breathing.

Her strong heart rate being forced to give up.

Her defiant glare smoothing into a hopeless stare.

Her delicate fingers, tight around his hand, slowly falling to the ground as if still trying to fight after her life had gone.

Suddenly, Ash knew what had just happened. He won.


End file.
